


Why Bruce Was First To Officially Find Out

by Blackrose197666



Series: Why... [7]
Category: The Avengers (Marvel Movies), The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: Cayden goes home to visit, Cayden working too hard again, Cayden's still working on the big move in plan, M/M, Missions Gone Wrong, Natasha's still keeping an eye on things, Tony's been decorating the tower, Virus
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-01-26
Updated: 2016-01-26
Packaged: 2018-05-16 11:39:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 10
Words: 10,698
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5827255
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Blackrose197666/pseuds/Blackrose197666
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Part seven in the "Why" series. When Clint returns from a mission to find an unidentified virus has swept through SHIELD medical - hitting some of their best medics - he finds himself needing help to find out how his medic has been affected.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> More fluffy nonsense with a bitty angst. Just for fun. And since we’ve had grumpy Cayden the last two instalments hopefully he’s more cheerful this time. Wanted to make sure he wasn’t some permanently smiling lovey dovey sap but don’t want to go too far the other way… 
> 
> Also please note I am not a doctor. I'm sure there's much more far-stretched scenarios out there than anything I have in here but still. Just want to say.

 

Tony hummed away to himself as he buzzed around his lab, zipping from one bench to another.

“Sir, Agent Barton is approaching.”

The billionaire cast a quick glance upwards.

“Thanks JARVIS,” he replied, laying his tool down on the nearest bench and turning to face the door. He had requested that JARVIS inform his when either Clint or Natasha were heading for his lab. _Warn_ him when Clint or Natasha were headed for his lab. Never more would he be caught off guard by one of the quiet, sneaky assassins… “Barton!”

“Stark,” Clint replied, mirroring the other man’s grin. He pulled the quiver off his shoulder and handed it to the other man. “Straight and true. And _man_ they pack a punch.”

“You like then?” Tony’s smile was half pleased half smug. Clint rolled his eyes.

“Yeah I like,” he conceded. Tony once again looked upward.

“You heard Legolas JARVIS, mass production of that latest batch of arrows, chop chop!” he accompanied the last words with a couple of claps of the hand. Clint chuckled and shook his head.

“Yes Sir.”

Tony gave a contented nod and turned back to Clint.

“And what about the awesome new range?”

Clint inhaled deeply.

“It’s…” he shrugged absently although his smile negated the flippant gesture. “It is pretty awesome.”

“Ha!” Tony smirked triumphantly. “You should see the one on your floor.”

Clint blinked rapidly.

“The one on…” the archer shook his head with a chuckle. Of course Tony Stark was building a second range – just for him – on his own personal floor, as well as assigning and decorating whole floors for each member of the team. _Just in case_ they stayed over. Tony grinned and shrugged absently although his expression turned slightly more serious as he tilted his head to the side inquisitively.

“So… what you been up to Barton?” he asked lightly.

“Oh, you know,” Clint shrugged. “SHIELD keeps me busy.”

Tony opened his mouth to reply but shut it again.

“Fury is a slave driver,” he commented finally with a faint quirk of the lips. His smile widened as he caught sight of Pepper over Clint’s shoulder. “Speaking of… I think I’m about to be dragged away. Your little agent girlfriend is upstairs. Her floor is finished. Twenty-ninth.”

Clint rolled his eyes at the girlfriend comment but let it slide, casting a look behind him and offering Pepper a warm smile.

“Well I suppose I’d better go up and see her,” he gave both Tony and his girlfriend a parting nod. “See you later.”

x-x-x

“I can’t believe Stark built you a cobweb,” Clint laughed as he rolled ungracefully into the large hammock that stretched pretty much corner to corner of the large room. Natasha chuckled from where she lounged near one of the edges of the large, bouncy structure, seemingly unfazed by the ripples caused by her companion’s extra weight.

“You should see what he’s having built on your floor.”

Clint stopped rolling around and looked up at Natasha, eyebrow arched.

“He’s building me a nest isn’t he?”

“Full of nice, big, fluffy pillows!” Natasha confirmed, grinning widely. Clint rolled his eyes and continued to tumble about ungracefully trying to get comfortable. “I thought you spent time in the circus? Did you not use safety nets?” she laughed as Clint turned a half-hearted glower to her before finally settling and crossing his arms with a pout. Turning her lips into a smirk she arched an eyebrow. “Don’t worry, the nest is big enough for two,” the female shrugged innocently at the pointed look Clint shot her. “Speaking of which to what do I owe the pleasure of your company anyway?” she asked. “Your dear doctor’s not working for the next few days.”

Clint’s brow furrowed slightly.

“I swear you know his shifts better than I do sometimes,” he muttered. “For your information his cousin is getting married tomorrow so he flew home last night and comes back Monday.”

Natasha’s eyebrow arched slightly.

“Is he staying with his parents?”

“Yup.”

“Do they know about you?”

Clint barked out a laugh.

“Hell no!” he shook his head. “I mean they know he’s not going to be bringing home any girls although it doesn’t stop his mother from asking.”

Natasha pursed her lips.

“I’m guessing Cayden doesn’t go home all that often,” she commented, not waiting for a reply before continuing. “Have you spoken to him since he got there?”

“He called last night before bed,” Clint smiled wryly. “He reckons his dad has told his mom to be on her best behaviour since she didn’t say a word last night about his love life.”

Natasha scoffed.

“A family wedding tomorrow? _Someone_ is gonna ask about his love life. Handsome thing like Cayden should be beating the woman folk off with a stick.”

Clint arched an eyebrow.

“Yeah – he was threatening to go for a jog tomorrow morning and _jar his knee_ – take his cane to the wedding so he would have a good excuse not to dance with anyone.”

An amused chuckle escaped Natasha’s lips.

“That actually sounds like a good plan,” she smiled. Clint hummed in agreement. Natasha finally opened her eyes and pulled herself up into a sitting position, levelling a critical eye at her friend. “So… everything ok with you two again now?”

Clint shifted, dropping his gaze from Natasha and screwing his face up slightly.

“Yeah, fine…” he grumbled. “Just a stupid fight.”

“A stupid fight that went on for how long?” Natasha arched an eyebrow pointedly but she quickly shook her head as Clint’s face scrunched up further, his shoulders starting to tense. “So… you wanna see the best thing about the web?”

The archer visibly relaxed.

“You mean other than the fact it is ridiculously comfortable?”

“JARVIS? Television please. Movie selection.”

Clint rolled his eyes as a large flat screen television descended from the roof, angled toward Natasha.

“I’d better have one of those above my nest,” he grumbled, rolling over and ungracefully crawling over to lay next to Natasha, ignoring her soft chuckles. “Pick something good.”


	2. Chapter 2

 

A heavy sigh escaped Cayden’s lips as he flopped onto his old bed back in his old bedroom in his childhood home, running a hand through his hair as he glared at the roof. Taking a couple of deep breaths he reached out toward the bedside cabinet and picked up his cell phone, quickly dialling the first number in his favourite contacts list.

“Hey,” Clint’s voice drifted down the phone. A little of the tension lifted from Cayden’s shoulders and his lips curled upwards ever so slightly.

“Hey darlin’,” the doctor replied. “I’m not interrupting anything am I?”

“Na, just lying in Natasha’s web watching a shitty movie she picked.”

Cayden’s eyebrows rose.

“Natasha’s web?” he asked with a further quirk of his lips.

“Yeah… Tony’s built her this giant hammock web thing on her floor – takes up a whole room.”

“Yeah and you should see your boyfriend trying to move about on it,” Natasha’s voice suddenly drifted down the phone, albeit a little quiet. Cayden chuckled as he heard Clint’s objections followed by soft murmurings in the background.

“Sounds like Tony’s really going all out with this decorating,” Cayden’s smile faded as a frown pulled on his face. “You sure he’s not trying to move you all in?”

An uneasy laugh drifted down the phone as Cayden cursed under his breath. He had made a similar comment a few weeks before, trying to subtly feel out the other man’s thoughts on perhaps living together but obviously he had not been subtle enough and the archer had clammed up instantly. It had led to an air of tension that had ultimately resulted in what had so far been the pair’s worst fight.

“No…no…” Clint replied flippantly although Cayden could hear the hint of unease in his tone. “He insists we just stay over when we feel like it.”

“Right, okay,” Cayden pursed his lips. “Well I should let you go back to your shitty movie.”

“Oh don’t worry about it, Tasha’s gone to get us some popcorn, although not sure where we’re going to put it now that I think about it – it’s going to go everywhere on this damn web. What you calling so early for anyway? I thought you were cooking dinner with your Mom?”

Cayden’s frown deepened.

“Yeah well I was… until she started asking if there are any nice nurses at my work.”

“Oh.”

“Yeah oh,” Cayden scowled. “I told her to drop it but of course she wouldn’t.”

“So your dad’s warnings didn’t help then eh?”

“No… he went out this afternoon to some church…work…thing. Soon as he set foot out the door you could practically see Mom twitching.”

“So what did you tell her? Oh you didn’t give her some shit about male nurses did you?”

Despite himself Cayden let out a short laugh.

“No, but that would’a been a great idea,” he smiled. “No I eh…” Cayden absently twisted the hem of his shirt with his free hand. “I told her about you.”

“Oh…” Cayden heard Clint exhale quietly. “Bet that went down well.”

The doctor snorted, covering his face with his elbow.

“Like a God-Damn Lead balloon,” he sighed. “She said she thought I would have _grown out of all that by now_. I tried telling her that I was happy and that you were good for me and… of course she wouldn’t listen,” Cayden screwed his eyes closer shut. “Until I tried to tell her how much time we spend together,” the doctor could not help his lips curling up disdainfully. “And then she asked if _we had sinned_.”

“Oh crap,” Clint muttered. “I dread to think what you said back to that.”

Cayden screwed up his nose, letting his arm fall from over his face.

“I told her you had a hot ass and I sinned with you every chance we got.”

“ _Cayden_!”

“Well she asked…” Cayden mumbled although his expression did turn a little sheepish.

“Yeah but you didn’t have to say _that_!” Clint pointed out although he did chuckle quietly. Cayden pursed his lips, exhaling heavily through his nose.

“This is why I don’t come home very often,” the doctor sighed. Rubbing a hand over his face he forced a smile even though he knew Clint would not see. “God I wish you were here.”

“Needing some moral support eh?”

Cayden smirked.

“Well yeah that would be nice. That and you are _way_ hotter than the hick my cousin is marrying. Sucks I can’t show you off.”

“Ha!” Clint’s laugh drifted down the phone and Cayden could not help but smile warmly at the sound. “You know you might want to keep that to yourself tomorrow.”

“Hmmm…” Cayden sighed wistfully. “No you’re probably right.”

“You still going to use your cane tomorrow so you don’t have to dance?”

“That’s the plan! I’ll…” the doctor cut himself off as a soft knock on his door caught his attention. He rolled his head to the side as his father eased the door open and offered his son a somewhat bemused look. “I’ll call you back later. Daddy’s home to mend the bridges.”

“Well for crying out loud don’t say anything to him like you did to your mom,” Clint replied. “I’ll talk to you later then.”

“Yeah, talk later,” Cayden replied quietly. “Bye Darlin’,” the doctor sighed and hung up the call. He arched an eyebrow as he noticed a text message had come in sometime while he was talking to Clint but he lifted his head to look at his father. “Hi Dad.”


	3. Chapter 3

“Hi Dad.”

“Cayden,” his father replied slowly, making his way into the room and sitting on the edge of his son’s bed. Cayden shifted slightly under his gaze.

“She asked,” he mumbled, crossing his arms defensively and turning his gaze to a spot on the floor. Mr Poole’s lips curled up ever so slightly.

“She did,” he conceded. “But you didn’t have to give her quite such a... _graphic_ reply,” the older man paused as his son screwed up his face but he did give a slight incline of the head. “Was that him on the phone just now?”

“Well I don’t call my boss _darlin_ ’,” Cayden replied, still not looking up. Mr Poole rolled his eyes slightly.

“Are we going to get to know his name?” the older man asked calmly. Cayden’s eyes lifted briefly to glance at his father before returning to the floor.

“Clint.”

Mr Poole nodded in acknowledgement.

“And would Clint speak to his mother the way that you just spoke to yours?”

Cayden frowned slightly.

“Clint’s parents died when he was young, I mean real young. Car accident.”

The older man’s expression sobered.

“I am sorry to hear that,” he said sincerely, pausing for a moment before continuing. “Do the two of you work together?”

“Eh… not exactly…” Cayden’s frown deepened. “He’s eh… a soldier, I mean Special Ops kinda deal.”

Again the doctor’s father nodded. As far as he and his wife were concerned their son worked on a military base, as had been his original intention.

“Have you had to treat him?”

“Nothing worse than a few stitches,” Cayden’s expression lightened slightly.

“Good. I hope it remains that way. I will add his safety to my daily prayers,” the older man smiled warmly as Cayden blinked in surprise and finally looked up and met his father’s gaze. “I cannot say that I approve Cayden but… there is a peace about you – I noticed it as soon as we picked you up from the airport, even under all that tension waiting for your Mom to start on you,” his eyebrow arched slightly as Cayden screwed up his nose sheepishly. “And I saw you out in the garden last night when I was shutting the drapes, I guess it was him you were on the phone to?” both eyebrows rose as Cayden nodded. “I have never _ever_ seen you smile like that,” the older Poole leant over and took his son’s hands as Cayden bowed his head to hide the increasingly sheepish expression spreading over his face. “Your mother and I just want you to be happy.”

Cayden glanced up with a half happy/half dubious expression.

“Mom wants grandkids.”

Mr Poole hummed in agreement.

“This is true,” he conceded, a heavy sigh escaping his lips. “But that would not be fair to you or any family.”

Cayden’s expression turned fully confused as he studied his father.

“Have you had a bump on the head since I was last here?”

Mr Poole chuckled.

“It’s been a _long_ time since you were last here,” he pointed out before his expression sobered again. “We worry about you Cayden. But regardless of any other feelings on the matter I thank God that he made you strong enough to be comfortable with who you are.”

Cayden could not help but snort.

“Well it was the least he could do considering _he made me_ the way I am,” he replied pointedly although he quickly dropped his gaze again as his father returned a reproachful look.

“You know you get your defensive tongue from your Grandfather,” the older man commented lightly after a brief moment of silence. He smiled as Cayden chuckled softly and nodded. “He said the day you were born you were going to be a fighter,” Mr Poole laid a hand on his son’s shoulder, encouraging him to look up and meet his gaze. “It would be nice to see you home for more than just family weddings and funerals.”

Cayden nodded.

“I know, I’m sorry,” he returned a sincere gaze. “I do think about coming back to visit I just… put it off and then Mom says something on the phone and…”

Mr Poole gave a brisk nod.

“I know it’s not easy,” he let his hand drop and he stood slowly, gesturing toward the door. “Shall we go and help your Mom with the rest of dinner then?”

“Yeah, I guess,” Cayden agreed, pulling himself to his feet. Mr Poole gave him a stern look.

“No more inappropriate comments?”

“I’ll try and watch what I say,” Cayden replied with a faint smirk. Mr Poole’s lips quirked slightly at the edge as he gave a small nod of acceptance. It was the best he was going to get.

“I think you’ve probably pushed your Mom to the edge already for this visit. Maybe next time you visit we can hear more about this Clint?”

Cayden’s lips pulled into a genuine smile.

“Yeah, maybe,” he agreed. His eyes fell on his cell phone and remembering he had a text message sitting he grabbed up the phone, gesturing to the door. “I got a message just when you came in, I just want to see what it is and I’ll be right down.”

“Very well. I’ll see you downstairs.”

Cayden nodded and unlocked his phone again, arching an eyebrow as he found a message from Natasha.

_Don’t worry doc, no-ones moving in. I’m still waiting to see your great grand move-Clint -in plan._

Cayden smiled wryly, remembering his conversations with Clint on the matter.

_Pretty damn sure asking that will lead to a freak out of epic proportions_

Locking the phone quickly he shoved his cell phone – set to silent, God forbid it make a noise at his mother’s dinner table – into his pocket and took a deep breath, heading for the door and making his way downstairs.


	4. Chapter 4

_Pretty damn sure asking that will lead to a freak out of epic proportions_

Natasha arched an eyebrow at the somewhat negative reply from Cayden - although she knew he was probably right.

 _Hence the need for the awesome cunning plan_ she typed in reply, a confident smirk on her lips even though she knew Cayden would not see it. Setting her phone back on the breakfast bar counter she twirled it absently around in a circle.

"What are you smirking at?" Tony asked as he meandered through the doorway.

"Just offering our doctor friend some encouragement since he's worrying you're trying to move everyone in here," she smiled before explaining the entire story of how-Cayden-gave-Clint-a-key and Cayden’s concerns about asking Clint to move in. Tony chuckled as he took a cup of coffee from the coffee maker and joined Natasha at the breakfast bar.

"So the good doctor wants Legolas to move in with him eh?" Tony nodded approvingly. "Things are going well then?"

Natasha nodded.

"Seems to be," she agreed. "They had a fallout a week or so ago but that seems to have blown over so..."

Tony frowned as Natasha waved a hand.

"A fallout? What about?"

Natasha quirked her head slightly at the concerned expression on Tony’s face.

“Honestly I don’t know. I don’t think _they_ know,” she shrugged. “I think they were both tired and grumpy at the same time and snapped at each other and blew everything out of proportion,” her lips quirked faintly. “For two such confident guys they’re actually kinda insecure about each other. Neither of them are relationship experts. They’ve settled into a routine and I think they’re both worried that the slightest thing will rock the boat.”

Tony nodded slowly.

“You mean like one maybe asking the other to move in?” he pursed his lips. “But they’re okay now right?”

“Yeeees…” Natasha fully tilted her head and gave Tony an inquisitive look. “Why you so worried?”

“I’m not allowed to be worried about a friend?” Tony asked, a mock offended expression pulling on his face. “You said he’s perfect for Clint, from what I saw when me and Cap invaded SHIELD he is perfect for Clint and I wanna at least meet the guy officially!”

Natasha’s eyes narrowed.

“You wanna gloat that you technically set them up.”

Tony grinned.

“That too,” he admitted but he held up a hand defensively. “But the other stuff is still true!”

“Of course Stark,” Natasha smirked. “Well I guess I’d better get back up there,” she looked towards one of the many gadgets off to the side of the kitchen. “JARVIS? Popcorn please.”

“Of course Miss Romanov,” came the smooth reply, a bowl of popcorn appearing moments later. Natasha picked up the bowl and offered Tony an overly sweet smile before turning on her heel.

“Later Stark,” she called over her shoulder. Tony waved a hand at the retreating agent before turning himself to the array of gadgets.

“Coffee Sir?” JARVIS asked. Tony smirked.

“Oh go on, you twisted my arm…”

x-x-x

Natasha paused in the doorway regarding the archer within thoughtfully for a moment before she made her way noisily into the room. Gracefully she pulled herself back up onto the web-hammock and crawled over to retake her place next to Clint without spilling one single piece of popcorn – much to Clint’s chagrin.

“So how’s Cayden doing?” she asked, popping some of the popcorn in her mouth. Clint rolled his eyes and reached out to grab a handful of the snack for himself.

“Telling his mother how often we sin.”

“Ha!” Natasha barked out a laugh, covering her mouth as she choked a little on her popcorn. Clint reached over and gave her a token slap on the shoulder. “Gee, thanks.”

“No problem,” Clint smirked although his expression grew sombre as he fidgeted with the hem of his shirt. “I think Cayden wants me to move in with him.”

Natasha’s head snapped round to look at Clint, eyes blinking in surprise. Not at the content of the statement of course but at the fact Clint had shared this without any prompting.

“You mean you _haven’t_ moved in?” she asked lightly with an obviously fake frown after a moment to regain her composure. She offered an innocent shrug as Clint turned a half-hearted glower on her. "So what makes you think Cayden’s trying to get you to move in?"

Clint shifted under Natasha's expectant gaze.

"Just... Some things he's said. Like when I talk about Tony's decorating. And when he was talking about redecorating _his_ apartment and getting new furniture..."

Natasha could not help but laugh as Clint's voice trailed off.

"Did Cayden try and get you to go _furniture shopping_? Oh how domestic!" Natasha grinned as Clint glowered. "Honestly though Clint, when was the last time you slept at _your_ apartment?"

"That's not the point," Clint grumbled, crossing his arms and looking back up at the television screen which was still paused on their movie. Natasha arched an eyebrow, somehow resisting the urge to ask what the hell the point was.

"Would it really be so bad to just make it official?" she asked instead quietly. "You're practically there anyway."

Clint's shoulders tensed slightly.

"I just like things the way they are," he replied, grabbing another handful of popcorn. Natasha inhaled deeply through her nose but said nothing more. Perhaps _she_ would also need to come up with a cunning plan to ward off her friend's obvious impending freak out...


	5. Chapter 5

Cayden suppressed a sigh as he followed his parents into their home, trying to tune out his mother’s gushing about the wedding – in particular how happy her sister-in-law must have been to see her baby walking up the isle…

“What time is your flight tomorrow Cayden?”

The doctor took a moment to register that his father had spoken to him.

“Oh… flight leaves about five-thirty.”

Mr Poole nodded.

“We can take you to the airport if you like?”

“Eh, yeah that’ll be great, thanks.”

“Must be late that you land?”

“’Bout midnight,” Cayden confirmed, following his parents into the kitchen and leaning against a counter as his mother set about filling the kettle.

“That’s awfully late,” Mrs Poole commented, frowning as she turned back round to her son. “How on earth are you getting to your apartment from the airport?”

Cayden exhaled through his nose.

“I’m getting picked up,” he replied calmly. Glancing to the side he found his father giving him a faint but knowing smile. Mrs Poole bristled but after a quick glance at her husband she took a deep breath and turned back toward the counter, retrieving two mugs from a cupboard.

“Would you like a drink before bed sweetheart?” she asked sweetly. Cayden rolled his eyes.

“No thanks mom, I’m just going to head to bed. It’s been a long day and my knee is starting to twinge,” the doctor pushed himself away from the counter and made his way over to his mother. Inhaling deeply he rested a hand around her shoulder. “And if you want me to call home more often you’re going to have to get used to hearing about Clint. Nothing like I said last night but I do plan on keeping him around for a long, _long_ time so he’s gonna come up in conversations,” the doctor arched an eyebrow pointedly as Mrs Poole bristled slightly again, her eyes fixed on the kettle. He leant down and kissed her on the cheek. “Good night mom.”

Mrs Poole gave a small nod although she did not look up.

“Good night Cayden.”

Cayden gave a small smile to his father as he turned, relieved to receive one in return, before quickly making his way back into the hallway and heading for the stairs. Running up them swiftly he slipped into his bedroom and shut the door, letting out a long overly dramatic sigh as he slumped back against the shut door, running a hand through his hair. After a long moment of just standing with his eyes shut he pushed himself away and made his way toward his bed, shrugging off his suit jacket and throwing it on a nearby chair. Flopping down onto the mattress he grabbed his cell phone off the bedside cabinet and flicked it open. It was not worth risking his mother – or any of his family for that matter – catching him on his cell phone at any point throughout the day so he had many snarky comments bottled up ready to pass onto his equally snarky little archer back home…

But apparently said archer had something to comment on himself judging by the _missed call – Clint_ message on his screen and the little symbol at the top signalling a voice message. Clint knew he would not have his phone with him today – why would he have called? Quickly Cayden clicked through the options to his voicemail and raised the phone to his ear.

“ _Hey… hope you haven’t pulled all your hair out today. Or upset any relatives. Or_ offended _any relatives - '_ specially _your mother. I eh… I’m sorry, I’m not going to be able to pick you up from the airport tomorrow after all. Duty calls. I guess I’ll just have to hear all about the wedding when I get back. Don’t know when I’ll be back but you’ll probably be back to work by then so don’t work too hard. Dehydration’s the enemy remember,_ " there was a brief pause in the message _. "Good night.”_

Another sigh escaped Cayden’s lips as he lowered the phone and hung up the message. He had been looking forward so much to just talking to Clint. He had been looking forward to hearing the other man's voice. Looking forward to being Cayden who _had_ found someone to settle down with, despite what he had told everyone who had asked him or his mother that day about his love life. Now he had to worry about where his boyfriend was and what in God's name SHIELD had him doing. What he would not give for that simple little message telling him the scale of Clint’s mission and its length.

And of course now he had to go home tomorrow night to an empty apartment. Which given his recent concerns about asking Clint to move in was actually quite fitting.

x-x-x

Clint rubbed a hand over his face tiredly as he re-read the file Hill had handed him. A quick glance at his watch told him that Cayden ought to be back from the wedding by now and he could not help the knot of guilt that tightened in his gut at not being able to speak to him. Cayden hated having to pretend - or at least allude - to be straight but he hated upsetting his parents more, despite some of the colourful names he sometimes called his mother...

The archer shook his head quickly and returned his attention to the file. He really needed to stop letting his thoughts drift. Cayden would be fine - there was no need to worry about him.

Despite himself Clint's thoughts drifted again. He could not help but think back to the doctor's comment the night before:

"... _y_ _ou are_ _way_ _hotter than the hick my cousin is marrying. Sucks I can_ _’_ _t show you off_.”

Cayden had made a similar comment the night before he had left too.

 _A contented sigh escaped Cayden’s lips as he absently traced Clint’s bare shoulder with one hand, the other settled on the archer’s lower back. The two were comfortably curled up in what was fast becoming to Cayden_ their _bed, breathing still slightly heavy from their earlier activities…_

_“I’m going to miss you,” Cayden murmured quietly against Clint’s hair. The archer scoffed quietly but looked up at Cayden with an amused smile._

_“You’re gone for three days,” he pointed out._

_“I know…” Cayden pouted. “But I’m not working and you’re_ – fingers crossed – _not working so it’ll be weird not seeing you.”_

 _Clint blinked. He opened his mouth to point out other times that both had not been working when they had been apart but aside from one of Tony’s_ movie nights _which was actually more like a couple of months before he could not think of the last time he had not spent joint days off with Cayden. Come to think of it… he could not remember the last time he had set foot in his own apartment…_

 _“And it’s going to be a long three days thank you very much,” Cayden continued, fingers still tracing over Clint’s skin. “Having to pretend I’m single and listen to everyone telling me_ it’s ok _and_ I’ll meet someone soon _,” the doctor pressed his lips to Clint’s temple. “I just wish I could tell everyone I’m happy and settled.”_

Settled.

Clint swallowed against the rising panic as once again the idea that Cayden wanted them to live together took over his head. With another sharp shake of the head the archer returned his focus to the mission at hand. Leaning over toward the cockpit he called out to the pilot.

“How long till the drop?”

“We’re ten minutes out.”

Clint gave a nod and rolled his shoulders. He would worry about all that when he got home.

Home being _his_ apartment…


	6. Chapter 6

SHIELD medical was strangely quiet – even for night shift – as Cayden slipped from his office and made his way towards the small break room the doctors used. He offered the young doctor already sitting at a table a smile and proceeded to make himself a coffee. Doctor Pine had been around since before Cayden had started and had treated many of the injured agents off the helicarrier following Loki’s escape. His dislike towards Clint had been well voiced – indeed he had been one of the doctors who had refused to treat Clint the first time Cayden had met the archer…

“So, what have you done to piss off McAndrew?” the other doctor asked as Cayden finished making his drink. Cayden arched an eyebrow and took a seat at the same table but opposite the other man. He may not have been Cayden’s favourite colleague – for obvious reasons – but he appreciated the need to maintain at least a civil working relationship.

“McAndrew is pissed at me?” he shrugged and took a sip of his coffee. If the cranky old doctor was pissed off at him it was no skin off Cayden’s nose although he could not remember getting on the wrong side of the older man recently. The doctor opposite Cayden screwed up his nose.

“Well he’s scheduled you to have Agent Barton for the next round of physicals so you must have done something.”

Cayden found himself grateful that he had raised his mug to his lips again which would have helped hide the scowl that took over his face. Taking another drink he forced an amiable expression.

“I’ve never had a problem dealing with Agent Barton,” he replied casually and how much did he want to add to that statement? Despite the downturn in his mood he could not help the slight quirk of his lips as the idea of marching up to Clint at SHEILD medical reception when he reported for that medical and kissing him thoroughly played through his head. With a small shake of the head to disperse the idea he braced himself for more comments as Doctor Pine opened his mouth but the other doctor barely got his breath out before Cayden’s pager bleeped loud and sharp. For a fleeting second Cayden was relieved at the interruption but that was quickly replaced by trepidation and the inevitable panic that something had finally happened to Clint…

Despite his concern Cayden snatched the pager from his belt and switched it off as he stood up, grabbing the tablet he carried at all times off the table and looking up the relevant files. He noted out the corner of his eye that Doctor Pine had also stood and was obviously awaiting instruction.

“We have two agents incoming,” Cayden informed him, hoping the swell of relief did not show on his face or in his voice. “Extracted following a distress call. Both unconscious and unresponsive at the scene with minor bruises and contusions but no obvious signs of serious injury,” a slight frown pulled on Cayden’s brow. “ETA ten minutes.”

x-x-x

“We’re about to land.”

Bruce blinked his eyes open, raising his head and turning slightly to look out the window as indeed he found the helicopter starting its descent. The doctor blinked again as he found Director Fury waiting at the edge of the landing pad. As soon as the pilot gave him the signal Bruce scrambled out of the vehicle – his anxiousness to get out of the helicopter only spurred on by Fury’s presence.

“Doctor Banner,” said man greeted him without pre-amble, turning and leading him back into the building on which they had landed quickly. “Two agents were extracted from a routine surveillance mission in Arizona last night following a distress call. They were found unconscious with what appeared to be minor defensive wounds. They were admitted to medical and the doctors started running their standard sweep of tests,” Fury paused by an elevator door, pressing the button and turning to look at Bruce as the two waited although he never stopped speaking. “Tox screens showed they had been sedated but otherwise there was nothing untoward. Both were monitored through the night but other than slightly elevated heart-rates and temperature both were stable,” the two stepped into the elevator. “The sedation finally wore off this morning and both agents woke to violent vomiting. Around lunch time one of the agents involved in the extraction returned to medical complaining of nausea and dizziness. Doctor Poole immediately initiated a lockdown of medical and ordered all agents who had been involved in the extraction and anyone they had been in contact with to report in. Sure enough the other agents and the pilot have all displayed the same symptoms.”

“The two original agents contracted some sort of virus?” Bruce frowned, following Fury briskly down the corridor the two had stepped into from the elevator. “And they were sedated so the effects would not be noticed before it could be spread. So wh…” the doctor blinked suddenly. “ _Poole_?”

Fury spared a quick glance to the man walking quickly beside him.

“First medic to treat both men,” the director confirmed with just the hint of an arched eyebrow. “He and a doctor Pine are both in the quarantine. Nausea should be kicking in any time now. We have teams of doctors on their way of course but Poole asked we call you – I know the two of you have worked together on virus research before and he obviously values your opinion.”

Bruce gave a nod as he found himself finally outside of SHIELD medical.

“No doubt he is already emerged in research and neglecting his own health,” Bruce rolled his eyes as Fury gave a small nod. “How many patients are we looking at?”

“Only the two original agents, the three extraction agents and pilot have displayed symptoms so far but there appears to be a long delay between contact and the nausea setting in,” Fury sighed quietly. “There could be dozens.”

Again Bruce nodded, mind racing.

“Ok, I’d better head in and see where we stand.”

Fury’s brow furrowed.

“You sure you’re ok to go in?”

Bruce smiled wryly.

“The Other Guy doesn’t let me get sick,” he replied. Fury gave a nod and gestured toward the medical wing.

“Please keep me updated. And please keep Doctor Poole from working himself into a coma,” again the director’s eyebrow arched ever so slightly. “Aside from the fact he is one of my best I _do not_ want to have to have this conversation with Agent Barton when he returns.”


	7. Chapter 7

Bruce sighed quietly, rubbing a hand tiredly over his face. Turning away from the desk he looked at the doctor at the desk next to him, frowning as he took in the other man’s increasingly pale complexion. As expected nausea had kicked in a few hours after Bruce had arrived but as yet the other doctor was yet to actually vomit.

“You should be in bed,” he stated although it was with resignation knowing full well he would be dismissed. Sure enough Cayden waved a hand at him as the other reached for the water bottle next to him.

“I’m fine,” he took a long swig of water before waving the bottle toward Bruce. “See, I’m hydrating,” he placed the bottle back on his desk and returned his attention to the computer screen in front of him, muttering as much to himself as to Bruce. “Dehydration is the enemy.”

Bruce arched an eyebrow but gave a small – albeit reluctant – nod of acceptance even though he knew Cayden was not looking. The other doctor ran the risk of doing himself more damage if they did not get this virus under control quickly – the next stages of symptoms would hit him harder if he was weakened and unrested – but Bruce knew that Cayden would not simply lay down and rest. Turning back to his own screen he ran his eyes over the vitals from the patients that _were_ safely ensconced in SHIELD medical beds.

“Everyone’s vitals are holding… no sign of anyone’s temperature’s coming down yet though…” he frowned, running his eyes over the data again. A sharp beep from Cayden’s computer screen brought his attention back to the other doctor.

“Another six confirmed infections,” Cayden informed him grimly. Bruce inhaled sharply. The number was increasing at an alarming rate…

x-x-x

Director Fury paced the floor of his office, eye occasionally darting back to his desk as he awaited the latest update from medical. The last had not filled him with any optimism. The two original agents had lost consciousness again a few hours previous and were now in the grips of fever with the doctors at that point unable to keep their temperature down. Two of the extraction agents had just recently lost consciousness and Fury was willing to bet the other agent and pilot were likely in the same state by now. Doctor Poole and Doctor Pine had both succumbed to the violent vomiting stage of the virus and from what Bruce had said about Poole’s work rate up until then he would not be surprised if the doctor too was already unconscious.

Finally the comm. unit on the desk started beeping. Quickly Fury crossed the room and hit the answer button.

“Fury. Give me some good news doctor.”

“I would if I could,” Bruce’s tired voice drifted through the speakers. Fury sighed internally. So much for getting a better transmission than the last one…

x-x-x

Clint rolled his shoulders tiredly as he packed away the last of his kit. The extraction team should be there in under the hour and he could finally return home. _Home_ home. His apartment home. Spending some time apart from Cayden would do them both some good.

Not that Clint had been thinking much about the whole matter while he had been away… on a mission with hours and hours of downtime…

But yeah. Time apart would do them good.


	8. Chapter 8

SHIELD medical was in chaos. Doctors and nurses bustled about, rushing from patient to patient, all but one wearing layers of protective clothing to avoid the virus that still raged through the area. Bruce frowned heavily as he looked over the readings of the two original agents, both deep in the throes of fever with no sign of their temperatures dropping. Taking notes he gave a quick sigh and left the other doctors to continue to try and fight said fever, making his way through the halls to check on the next patients. As he had suspected he found the medical staff treating the extraction agents fretting over the fact that their temperatures were starting to rise. Bruce quickly spoke with the doctors before retreating once again to the corridor. A quick check on Doctors Poole and Pine – who ought still to be violently vomiting – and then he would head back out to re-join the research team…

x-x-x

Clint rolled his shoulders as he waited for Agent Hill to finish up the paperwork that would conclude his debrief. Thankfully the mission, although long, had been simple and had gone to plan meaning a short meeting.

“No injuries?” Hill asked suddenly, breaking the silence. Clint inhaled deeply but his expression remained stoic.

“No.”

Hill arched an eyebrow as she regarded the archer in front of her but with a small shrug she closed the file on her desk.

“Good. You are free to leave then Agent Barton.”

Clint blinked in surprise but stood anyway.

“I should draw you for debrief more often – Fury sends me to medical just for fun,” he commented lightly, hoping the relief was not showing on his face. The last thing he needed was a trip to medical – just his luck he would end up in the clutches of the one doctor he was adamant to avoid…

Hill quirked an eyebrow.

“Oh I would normally be sending you there now too, trust me,” she sighed tiredly. “Unfortunately the bulk of medical has been turned into a quarantine zone. We only have spare capacity for serious emergencies – if that.”

Clint paused in turning toward the door.

“Quarantine?”

Hill gave a grim nod.

“Two agents came back from a mission with a man-made virus that went undetected for almost twenty hours thanks to the fact the two agents were heavily sedated when they were extracted. Very contagious and _very_ nasty.”

Clint blinked. He swallowed hard as he felt a knot tighten around his chest.

“Well the last thing medical will need is an uninjured agent getting in the way,” Clint forced a smile as he once again turned toward the door. “See you next time Hill.”

Clint stepped out into the hallway, pausing as the door swung shut behind him. Taking several deep breaths he grabbed his cell phone – retrieved from storage on route to the debrief – from his pocket and quickly dialled one of the numbers listed in his favourites. The call went straight to voicemail. Of course that was not really a surprise – if a virus was sweeping SHIELD Cayden would be working all hours and would most likely have a dead cell phone to show for it or if he had been struck down by the virus he…

Clint turned on his heel and briskly made his way through the large building, finding himself in front of medicals make-shift reception area within minutes. What was he supposed to do now? What excuse did he have to go up and ask if Doctor Poole was on duty or if he was… Clint had no idea if Cayden had even admitted to his colleagues about being gay – he certainly did not want to land the other man in it by announcing to said colleagues that he was dating one of the lesser popular agents and…

“Clint?”

The archer spun round at the sound of his name.

“Bruce! What…” a quick sigh of relief left Clint’s lips. He knew Bruce had worked with Cayden in the past, in fact they had worked together on virus research. If Bruce did not already know where Cayden was he should easily be able to find out. “You’re here to help with the virus?”

“Yeah, Fury called me in soon as they initiated the quarantine,” Bruce frowned slightly, looking over his friend. “Were you injured while you were away?”

“What? Oh, no I…” Clint shook his head. “Hill told me about the virus,” the archer did not notice the look of realisation spread over Bruce’s face as instead focused his gaze on the strap of his rucksack he was fiddling with. “I’m actually looking for someone, Doctor Poole? His cell’s going straight to voicemail and I just want to know if it’s because he’s working or…” Clint looked up suddenly, meeting Bruce’s gaze as he continued in a hushed voice so as only his friend would hear. “He’s my boyfriend – I just need to know he’s ok.”

Bruce blinked in surprise – not at the statement itself of course but at the fact that Clint had admitted to it so quickly, even under the circumstances. Taking a deep breath Bruce returned a compassionate expression.

“He was the first doctor to come into contact with the two original agents,” the doctor informed quietly. Clint inhaled sharply.

“So he’s sick?”

Bruce nodded solemnly.

“I’m afraid so,” he confirmed, frowning as Clint visibly flinched.

“How is he?”

Bruce frowned slightly, pulling Clint off to the side. They were not exactly in ear shot of anyone where they were but still it gave them even just a little more privacy.

“He has been vomiting violently for the better part of nine hours and he is drifting in and out of consciousness. He’s on a drip to keep him hydrated but our biggest concern at the moment is that his temperature is starting to rise.”

Clint nodded slowly, a wry smile playing on his lips.

“Well at least he’s getting hydrated,” he sighed. “He’s really bad for not looking after himself when he’s working.”

Bruce’s eyebrow arched slightly as he thought back to Cayden’s constant sipping on bottles of water and his grumbling about keeping himself hydrated whenever Bruce had tried to get him to take it easy.

“Well for what it’s worth he was actually drinking a lot when I was working with him.”

Clint managed a tired smile but it quickly faded.

“Hill said it’s bad.”

Bruce took a deep breath.

“It’s… it is an aggressive virus,” he admitted, knowing there was no point sugar coating anything at this point. “We’re not sure if the two original agents are going to make it through the night,” Bruce reached out and placed a reassuring hand on Clint’s arm as the archer inhaled sharply and closed his eyes. “Cayden is a good thirty-forty hours behind from what we can gather about when they were infected. Look, there’s nothing you can do here Clint. Until we can synthesise an anti-virus I can’t let you anywhere near him. And you look exhausted – you should go home and try and rest,” he managed a wry smile as Clint’s mouth opened to object. “I know that will be easier said than done but I’m pretty sure that’s what your _boyfriend_ would tell you to do,” the doctor arched an eyebrow that told Clint under less serious circumstances there would be many more comments on _that_ matter. His serious expression quickly returned however. “I promise I will keep you up to date on his condition.”

Clint swallowed, noticeably weighing up his options before he nodded quickly.

“Yeah, I should let you get back, I’m sorry I shouldn’t have distracted you I…” he took a step back from the doctor, standing up straight and gesturing for Bruce to continue. The other man offered him what he hoped was a reassuring smile.

“I’ll be in touch,” he promised as Clint simply nodded again. Running a hand through his hair he watched as Bruce hurried off, the knot in his chest tightening…


	9. Chapter 9

Natasha pursed her lips slightly as she made her way up the last flight of stairs and stepped onto the landing, glancing around at the numbers on the door and heading toward the number she required. She paused briefly in front of the door, taking a deep breath and knocking gently four times. In the blink of an eye the assassin pulled a small tool from her pocket and deftly picked the lock. Easing the door open the female stepped inside, shutting it firmly behind her. Tilting her head slightly she made her way toward the figure sitting on the sofa, back to the door although she was sure he had heard her enter.

"You're supposed to let me know when you get home from missions Clinton Francis Barton,” she chastised lightly as she rounded the sofa. Clint blinked up at her, frown pulling on his brow.

"Shit... Sorry ‘Tasha," he apologised, pulling himself up from his slumped position and shuffling over to make room for the female. "I got distracted," his eyebrow arched as Natasha took a seat next to him. "Bruce told you I was back?"

"Bruce told me," Natasha confirmed. Clint sighed heavily, closing his eyes and throwing his head back against the back of the sofa. Natasha offered a reassuring smile even though the archer was not looking. "Cayden’s a fighter - he'll pull through. Steve took a team to where we think he virus originated - they found some files, corrupted unfortunately – obviously someone was covering their tracks – but tech are working on recovering anything for Bruce and the docs to work with."

Clint rolled his head to the side and looked at Natasha, returning a meek smile although he stayed silent. Natasha studied her friend for a moment before she turned her head and swept her eyes over the apartment.

"Nice place you two have here," she commented innocently although her eyebrow arched ever so slightly. Clint blinked at her for a moment before a quick, wry laugh escaped his lips.

"Yeah it is."

x-x-x

“Bruce?”

The doctor blinked tiredly and turned to look over his shoulder.

“Steve!” Bruce pushed himself away from the desk and clambered to his feet, rubbing his neck tiredly as he did so. Steve looked over the doctor sympathetically.

“Dare I ask how it’s going?”

Bruce sighed wearily.

“We lost one of the first agents twenty minutes ago.”

Steve inhaled sharply, bowing his head solemnly. The two stood in a sombre silence for several moments before Steve spoke up again.

“Did tech manage to get anything from those files?”

Bruce’s expression perked up slightly.

“There was blanks that they could not retrieve but there’s certainly some useful information, yes,” the doctor screwed his nose up a little. “Well… hopefully useful.”

Steve nodded.

“Good,” he stood up straight and looked around. “Is there anything I can do? I may not be able to do anything technical but the serum should stop me getting sick – I don’t care if I’m mopping brows and cleaning out sick buckets, I can’t stand to do nothing.”

Bruce returned a tired smile to his friend.

“I was just away to head back in and check on everyone,” he gestured for Steve to follow. “I’m sure we can find you something to do.”

x-x-x

Despite the gravity of the situation Natasha found her lips curling into a smile as she stood in Cayden’s kitchen, finally finding the cupboard of mugs and glasses as she waiting for the kettle to boil. Tony would love to know that there was a _Brave_ glass in Clint’s boyfriend’s kitchen, emblazoned with Princess Merida with bow in hand. The logical conclusion was that it had been bought to wind up Clint. Natasha opened her mouth to call through and ask about it as the kettle finally switched off but the sound of Clint’s cell phone stopped her. Straining her ears she tried to listen to the conversation but she could not make out exactly what Clint was saying, the archer’s mumbles unusually quiet. His tone, while tired and still obviously concerned, did not take on any extra distress so the assassin continued to make them both the hot chocolate she had promised to bring him. Making her way back through to join Clint she studied the archer as he finished off his conversation with Bruce.

“Any change?” she asked softly, settling back on the sofa and handing Clint his drink. The archer let out a shaky sigh.

“They just lost the second agent,” he replied quietly, cradling the mug close to his chest. “And… Cayden’s temperature is still going up.”

Natasha gave a small nod, taking a sip of her drink. There were no more reassuring words she could say. All she could do was sit with her friend and wait for better news…

x-x-x

“Doctor Banner!”

Bruce turned sharply at the sound of the voice, instinctively standing and meeting the two doctors barrelling into the room halfway, one of the newcomers holding out a tablet. Bruce took the offered device, eyes darting over the information on screen. He reached the end and frowned faintly. Quickly he scanned over the data again.

“Yes…” he slowly nodded, re-reading the page for a third time. “Yes, this might work…”

x-x-x

The only sound in Cayden’s apartment was the soft drone of the television playing in the background as the two agents on the sofa lightly dozed, both not far into their restless sleep. A sharp, loud ring quickly changed that. Both Clint’s eyes and Natasha’s flew open at the sound, the former grabbing his cell phone from where it lay on the sofa by his side.

“Hello?”

“Clint,” Bruce’s voice drifted down the line, tired as it had been all night but there was something else to his tone that Clint could not quite put his finger on.

“Bruce,” Clint exhaled quietly, meeting Natasha’s gaze as he quickly set the phone to loudspeaker so she could hear too. “Any change?”

“Well…I…I do have some good news,” Bruce replied. “We did manage to synthesise an anti-virus thanks to the information Steve and his team brought back. Most of the patients are responding well to the treatment.”

“That’s great! So…” Clint paused suddenly, blinking as his sleep deprived brain processed Bruce’s exact words. “ _Most_ patients?”

There was a quiet sigh down the line.

“I’m afraid those who were furthest along are not responding as well as we’d like,” Bruce replied honestly. “If anything Cayden’s temperature is still rising.”

Clint inhaled sharply.

“Well even I know that’s not good,” the archer mumbled. Across the sofa Natasha offered him a soft expression although no one but Clint would have known it.

“The anti-virus _is_ in his system, we are confident he is no longer contagious,” Bruce continued. “He is in a private room. If you take the anti-virus as a precaution you can sit with him if you like?”

Both Clint and Natasha were on their feet before Bruce had finished speaking.

“We’re on our way.”


	10. Chapter 10

** Pain. **

**_Everything_ was in pain. His head throbbed and his limbs felt heavy. Through the pounding in his head Cayden could hear faint voices – two he was pretty sure, no three – but he could not make out anything being said. He tried to open his eyes but they too were heavy and uncooperative. Finally he managed to blink them open, blearily focusing on the figure who appeared by his side. **

** “Doctor Poole,” Bruce smiled, turning his eyes to the monitor next to Cayden’s bed and jotting a few notes on the tablet in his hand. Cayden closed his eyes briefly, raising his arm tiredly to rub his face. **

** “Shit… sorry I must have conked out,” he muttered, trying to pull himself into a sitting position. Bruce quirked an eyebrow but said no more as he continued to check the other doctors vitals and responses. “How long was I out?” **

** “Eight days,” Bruce chuckled quietly as Cayden’s eyes widened. “Your temperature peaked at a hundred and seven point one.” **

** Cayden blinked rapidly.  **

** “Oh,” a quiet, tired chuckle escaped his lips as Bruce checked his blood pressure. “So you came up with an anti-virus then?” **

** “Yeah,” Bruce nodded, pausing briefly to finish writing up his notes before returning his full attention to the man lying in the bed. “Steve and a team managed to retrieve some data from the virus’s origin that proved useful.” **

** “Great,” Cayden smiled, rolling his shoulders as he tilted his head back, eyes closing for a moment before the doctor quickly looked back at Bruce. “What about everyone else?” **

** Bruce’s relaxed demeanour grew sombre. **

** “We lost both original agents and one of the extraction team,” he replied. Cayden nodded slowly, dropping his gaze to glare down at the bedding. **

** “I should have seen it sooner,” he frowned. “I should have…” **

** “Hey,” Bruce stepped up close to the bed. “There was nothing anyone could have done. The guys that did this knew what they were doing – this thing was designed to go undetected for as long as possible.” **

** Cayden tilted his head slightly in acknowledgement although Bruce knew he was still beating himself up internally. Glancing over his shoulder toward the door a smile returned to his lips. **

** “You are going to stay in at least two nights for observation,” a finger was pointed at Cayden as he opened his mouth. “ _No arguments_. Now…” Bruce smirked and started to head for the door. “You actually have a visitor.” **

** Cayden blinked, brows furrowing in confusion. Even if someone had called his parents they would not be allowed into the building so… The doctor tilted his head inquisitively as he heard Bruce inform whoever was waiting outside “ _he_ _’_ _s fine_ ” before stepping back to let the person enter. Again Cayden found his eyes blinking, this time in surprise at the figure that appeared in the doorway. **

** “Hey,” Clint quickly made his way over to the bed and sat on the edge close to Cayden. Natasha remained in the doorway, offering a small wave and a smirk. Cayden returned a quick smile to the female before looking back to Clint. The archer shuffled a little closer. “How you feeling?” **

** Cayden’s mouth opened but nothing came out. Letting out a wry chuckle he shook his head and leant toward Clint although in reality he barely moved.  **

** “Like I’ve been hit by a freight train,” he admitted. Clint returned a half concerned/half understanding smile, reaching out and running a hand over Cayden’s arm. Behind the archer Bruce put away the last of his testing equipment.  **

** “I’ll be back to check on you in an hour or so,” he interrupted quietly. Cayden turned his attention to the other doctor although Clint’s focus remained on him. The former Navy SEAL looked between Bruce’s amused expression and Clint, surprised to find the archer apparently completely unconcerned by the fact Bruce was still in the room. Bruce’s smile widened as he gave Cayden a quick wink. “I’ll leave you two to it.” **

** “Thanks Bruce,” Clint replied, finally turning to offer his friend a parting smile as all Cayden could do was give a small wave, words escaping him at that moment. Probably for the best. He had realised early on that when Clint did something out with his comfort zone it was actually best not to draw attention to it. With the door safely shut behind Bruce – and Natasha – Cayden turned to Clint. **

** “Hey,” he said quietly. Clint laughed softly.  **

** “Hey,” he replied, leaning over and brushing his lips over Cayden’s. His lips curled up wryly as he pulled away. “Didn’t think it would be _me_ sitting in here praying for _you_ to be ok.” **

** Cayden chuckled, closing his eyes tiredly as he leant his forehead against Clint’s. **

** “Yeah, wouldn’t have thought that,” he agreed. Clint traced his fingers lightly over Cayden’s hand before twining their fingers together. **

** “You really scared me,” Clint admitted softly. Cayden’s brow furrowed faintly as he opened his eyes to look back into Clint’s. **

** “I’m sorry Darlin’,” the doctor whispered, squeezing Clint’s hand back although there was not much strength behind it. Clint smiled meekly. **

** “And I’m sorry in advance for all the times we know I’m going to scare you.” **

** Cayden returned the smile albeit with a hint of resignation. **

“Noted.”

A comfortable silence fell over the two, Cayden content to relax as lethargy still lingered through his body and Clint happy to sit with his fingers wrapped round Cayden’s hand in such a way that he could feel the pulse of his wrist.

“So how many smitten ladies did you have to dance with at the wedding then?” Clint asked lightly, finally breaking the silence. Cayden chuckled.

“I actually only had to dance with my cousin,” he replied. “Couldn’t very well say no to the bride could I?” he smiled as Clint too let out a quiet laugh. “Oh – and Mom too obviously,” Cayden’s eyebrow quirked. “Can’t say no to Momma.”

“Ha, no…” Clint agreed. “Speaking of – you’d better call her. I was at your apartment while you were still contagious and she was leaving some rather… colourful messages,” he smirked as Cayden flinched slightly. “Apparently just ‘cause you’ve been to visit does not mean that you are allowed to ignore her for days on end,” the smirk faded into a more apologetic smile. “I did think about answering it but apart from the fact I was scared of giving your Mom a hernia if I answered your house phone I figured I couldn’t tell her you were sick when she wouldn’t be able to get anywhere near this place and I didn’t see the point in worrying her until…”

“Hey…” Cayden interrupted. “It’s ok. If she did survive you answering the call you’re right – you couldn’t have told her anything,” the doctor rolled his eyes but gave a nod. “Can you take my cell phone in then? Longer I leave it the more she’ll yell.”

Clint quirked an eyebrow and delved into his back pocket with his free hand, handing Cayden his own cell phone.

“Just use mine,” he tilted his head slightly. “You gonna tell her you got sick?”

Cayden barked out a laugh.

“Hell no! I’ll tell her _everyone else_ got sick and I was working,” he pursed his lips as he twirled Clint’s cell phone in his free hand. “She’ll still rip me a new one for overdoing it but it won’t be _quite_ so bad as telling her _I_ got sick.”

Clint smiled and gave a nod.

“Sounds like a good idea,” he agreed as Cayden started dialling. He leant back slightly – although kept his hand around Cayden’s – and studied the man next to him.

“Hey Mom,” Clint smiled as Cayden’s face screwed up. He could hear Mrs Poole’s voice coming through the speaker and although he could not make out what she was saying he could tell Cayden was getting an earful from his mother. “Ye… I… Mom!”

Clint chuckled quietly, allowing a full laugh as Cayden stuck out his tongue at him. Again he studied the doctor, thinking back to just how worried he had been the past few days at the thought of not having the other man in his life.

And how that was a _much_ scarier thought than just moving the last box or two of stuff out of the apartment he had not stepped foot in for weeks…


End file.
